SERIOUS CHARGES.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 January 1923, Page 4

SERIOUS CHARGES.

against ex-civil servant

TK K l I I I. Jim. 13. At the -Magistrate's Court, Cico. King, farmer, of Aria, ami lormorly :i I’ubiic Works inspector, appeared to answer J- charges of theft and lorgery from the Public Works Department. Tin 1 charges were laid over a period from December "iflth. Kk-’O. to June (ilh, Jusiph Cullen, a road contractor, gave evidence regarding amounts paid in him for various works, and stated that the signatures on voueliers for various payments, some lor large amounts, had not boon affixed by him. Also the quantity of certain stores said to have keen used by him was in excess of that actually employed. .Michael Keeney. labourer, oi Taihnpe. gave eorrohnrative evidence, lie ill 0 stated thiit the signature in his name which appeared on certain vouchers was not written by him. Daniel Kerrisk, lehonrer, of Mangapeehi, gave similar evidence. Piter Keller, district engineer for the Public Works Department, detailed the department's system lor cheeking ill" ret tins of its numerous inspectors. The accused, until he "as suspended on August Wil'd, if’JA, was overseer in charge of road work In To Knit i and surrounding districts, and was employed by lice Public Works Department. 'Alien advised by the head office in Wellington that money was authorised far expenditure on the roads, a- notice was sent to the overseer in the district, instructing him to put (lie work in hand, with instructions regarding the urgency or otherwise of the work. The duty of tin overseer was then to seekout suitable workmen, to let a contract, to get them to sign the contract before putting the work in hand, and to advise headquarters of full particulars of eon I reels let. giving scheduled itemand prices oi the work as let. the exact, locality of the work, and the total amount of contract. These certificates took the form of draft voueliers, prepared on printed forms in triplicate. The witness then gave particulars of allegedly fraudulent signatures on a number of these voueliers. The accused was not aide to give a satisfactory account of these discrepancies. The accused "as committed for trial at the next session of the Hamilton Supremo Court on February 'J'th, KIWI. Hail was allowed in the accused’s own recognisance of L'oOt). and two suietic’s of L'l’dO each.